‘King’ is dethroned

Musical back at No. 1 on Broadway box office

“Wicked” was back on top and “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” swung back into town last week, when most shows were up despite a frame during which new offerings had to contend with comps for Tony voters and for the road presenters in town for the annual Broadway League conference.

“Wicked” ($,1606,974) climbed back above “The Lion King” ($1,562,498) after spending three weeks — an unusually long time for the consistent B.O. champ — displaced from the No. 1 spot by the Disney longrunner. Spring success story “The Book of Mormon” ($1,130,382) held steady on the third rung of the Top 10.

Meanwhile, “Spider-Man” ($809,941 for five perfs) returned from a three-week retooling hiatus to resume its run ahead of its June opening. Attendance capacity came in at 95%; curiosity is high regarding the publicity-magnet’s ability to sustain the hefty B.O. numbers the show logged prior to its temporary exit.

Among the new shows posting dips that were likely exacerbated by those Tony voters were “War Horse” ($836,768), “Sister Act” ($812,853), “Catch Me if You Can” ($654,175) and “Good People” ($397,233), although no decline was particularly dramatic.

Besides, several spring offerings rose despite any increase in comps, including “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” ($985,393), “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” ($950,204) and “The Motherfucker With the Hat” ($689,860).

In general, B.O. variations of any sort, up or down, didn’t raise any eyebrows. Overall sales climbed around $875,000 to $23 million for 36 shows on the boards. Attendance came in at 80%, about the same as the percentage reported last year at this time.

With a number of spring productions hitting their sales stride, one tuner, “Wonderland” ($432,267), exited in a frame that saw receipts decline compared to the prior sesh.